Hey guys!
I am back with another fun, tasty, and healthy recipe that can be made for both lunch and dinner. My boyfriend definitely inspired this pick for dinner, since we both love Mexican food but are trying to make healthier choices. He is a lot stricter on what he eats during the day than I am, but I love cooking for him since it forces me to combine the worlds of health and of great taste (and you all know I love a good challenge).
Lettuce wraps seem to be EVERYWHERE lately… restaurants, Pinterest, Instagram, you name it- it’s there. Why I love these wraps is because you still get to indulge in your typical comfort foods but with WAY LESS calories. For instance, let’s say the typical taco shell or wrap ranges from 50-100 calories… and let’s say you ate up to three of them (let’s get real you really eat 10 of them LOL), that’s already 150-300 calories just on the thing that’s holding all the good stuff together!!!! On the other hand, lettuce is virtually ZERO calories, leaving way more room to load up these wraps with toppings and meat!
Let me tell you, these wraps were super easy to make and delicious. Don’t get me wrong they are a little bit on the messy side, but that makes things more fun, doesn’t it?
When I said these tacos were easy, I wasn’t kidding. There are only THREE essential ingredients: Lettuce, Ground Meat/Poultry, and Taco Seasoning. Those ingredients will give you the bare bones, and the rest is up to you. You can add whatever toppings you’d like to truly customize this recipe to your specific taste buds. I kept it simple, and just threw in some Roma tomatoes and salsa, as other toppings.
Another reason I love tacos is because you can set up a “build your own” taco station in your kitchen. It’s such an interactive dish, requiring everyone to participate in the preparation, and it leads to a super fun, DIY dinner (especially when eating these bad boys is a tad messy).
So, here’s how I made them:
Ingredients:
- Ground Meat/Poultry (the amount of needed really depends on how many people you are feeding, one package fed 2 comfortably with some left overs)
- 1 individual package of taco seasoning (I used Old El Paso)
- 1 head of lettuce (I used romaine, but iceberg would work as well)
- taco toppings of choice (I used roma tomatoes and salsa, but you can also add cheese, sour cream, onion, guacamole, beans, corn, etc.)
Directions:
- Heat a medium-sized skillet on medium heat. When hot add 1/2 cup of water and the ground meat/poultry. Brown the meat/poultry as well as add in the taco seasoning. Ensure you are breaking up the meat/poultry with a spatula or other utensil to ensure even cooking. Once full cooked, set aside in a serving dish.
- While the meat/poultry is cooking, wash and prepare your lettuce and toppings. Set all toppings aside in separate serving dishes, and place dishes at your “build your own” taco station.
- Build your own custom, lettuce-wrapped taco, and enjoy!
So above are what your amazing lettuce-wrapped tacos will look like when loaded with all those toppings. They are definitely a way to change up your usually taco night (and they are a lot healthier)!
One last thing I would like to mention about this recipe is that it is totally diverse. If you don’t feel like eating everything wrapped inside a lettuce wrap… throw it into a bowl, and enjoy your meal as a taco salad. It is equally as delicious, and a lot less messy!
I hope you all have enjoyed this post, and try to replace your typical wraps and taco shells with some lettuce! Let me know what you think by commenting below or tweeting at me!
XOXO,
Pink and Premed